Cooler display rack with adjustable gravity feed shelves

ABSTRACT

A cooler display rack for use in a walk-in refrigerated cooler consists of a series of L-shaped frame sections formed from generally upright posts secured at their bottom end by an elongated shoe to form the individual frame sections. The frame sections are joined to adjacent frame sections by spacer panels and by a plurality of shelves supported in a cantilevered manner between a pair of adjacent posts. The individual shelves are supported between the posts by shelf support brackets and can be selectively positioned vertically along the height of the post, horizontally forward and backward relative to the post, and angularly with a gravity feed inclination between an approximate 8° forward slope and approximate 1° back slope. Bumper wires are inserted through holes in the shelves at the front edge thereof for retaining merchandise contained on the shelves. In one embodiment, a gravity feed shelf includes selectively positionable dividers attached on a slip surface layer of the shelf.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/016,783 filedFeb. 11, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,746.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to display racks. More particularly, thisinvention relates to an improved display rack for use in combinationwith a walk-in type cooler.

The above identified patent application, of which this is acontinuation-in-part, is directed to a cooler display rack system whichhas a shelving design that offers unobstructed continuous display ofcooler merchandise due to the elimination of the display rack frontposts. The elimination of front posts avoids the need for the shelfwidth to match the walk-in cooler door width. The cooler display racksystem allows the retailer the opportunity of a more individualizedallocation of products based on sales merchandising schemes.

This cooler display rack system provides individually adjustable shelveswhich can be moved forward or back relative to the cooler door withoutthe need for repositioning of the entire display rack. Furthermore, theshelves can be individually adjusted vertically to accommodate varyingheights of merchandise, and the shelves can be positioned variablybetween a 1° back slope inclination up to an 8° forward slopeinclination relative to a horizontal plane for a gravity feed system asrequired. The display rack system includes a plurality of generallyL-shaped frame sections having upright posts between which a number ofshelves extend forward in a cantilevered manner. Supporting the shelvesin a cantilevered fashion allows the posts to be positioned at the rearedge of each shelf thereby allowing full access through the cooler doorsto the merchandise located on the shelves facing the cooler doors.

Even though the shelves of the cooler display rack system are adjustablevertically, horizontally and angularly as described, the manner ofarranging the merchandise on the individual shelves is not addressed inthe above-identified patent application. Gravity feed type displaysystems often include dividers for partitioning the merchandise intocolumns. However, the spacing between the dividers, and therefore thewidth of the merchandise which can be placed therein, is often set orfixed by the shelf manufacturer. If the dividers are fixed, the shelfspace is inefficiently used and the store manager has little or noflexibility in arranging merchandise or designing a gravity feeddisplay. Even if the dividers are adjustable, they typically requirecomplicated attachment mechanisms and are difficult to remove andreattach to the shelf when re-configuring the merchandise display.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been an objective of the present invention to provide a displayrack with shelves which can be easily re-configured to permit efficientuse of the space thereon that do not require fixed or complicateddivider attachment mechanisms or structures.

A further objective has been to provide such a display rack shelf whichis self-feeding and can be individually adjusted up and down vertically,back and forth horizontally, and at various shelf inclinations.

These objectives of the present invention are obtained by a coolerdisplay rack system as disclosed in the above-identified application, ofwhich this is a continuation-in-part, which includes shelves havingadjustable dividers attached thereto. The shelf in the display rack ofthis invention includes an open frame having front, back and side framemembers. A shelf insert is positioned into the open frame to form theshelf. An upper surface of the shelf insert includes a gravity feed slipsurface with a plurality of spaced, parallel ribs extending between thefront and back edges of the shelf. These ribs perform the dual functionsof providing a slip surface for the gravity feed advance of themerchandise toward the front edge of the shelf and an attachmentmechanism for dividers extending upwardly from the shelf to partitionthe upper surface of the shelf into channels.

The dividers include an inverted Y-shaped base which can be positionedat a plurality of places across the top of the slip surface. The baseengages adjacent ribs on the slip surface. Each divider has an upwardlybowed configuration and a notch at a front and a back end thereof. A tabon the front and back frame members is inserted into the respectivenotch on the divider to secure the divider to the shelf. The bowedconfiguration of the divider helps to securely retain the tabs withinthe respective notches. The dividers can be easily detached from theshelf and re-attached at different positions.

A pair of adjacent dividers form a channel which organizes themerchandise into a column for the orderly gravity feed advancement onthe shelf. The width of the channel is adjustable by repositioning thedividers on the shelf and thereby offering the retailer greaterflexibility in designing a merchandising scheme while efficientlyutilizing available shelf space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objectives and features of the invention will become more readilyapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective cross-section view of a walk-in cooler having adisplay rack according to the present invention contained therein;

FIG. 1A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a post secured in a shoetaken along line 1A--1A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is an elevated perspective view of a post of the display rack ofFIG. 1 being inserted into a shoe to form an L-shaped frame section forattachment to other frame sections;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the forwardmost portionof the shoe taken along line 2A--2A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional side view of the area of region3--3 in FIG. 2 as the post is being inserted into the shoe;

FIG. 3A is a view similar to FIG. 3 after the post has been securelypivoted in place within the shoe;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional front view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3Ashowing the front tab on the bottom end of the post secured in placewithin the slot provided in the shoe;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shelf support bracket of the presentinvention attached to a post shown in phantom;

FIG. 6 is a front end view of the hook of a shelf support bracket beinginserted into the slot provided on the post of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a view similar to FIG. 6 after the shelf support has beensecured to the post;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view from the underside of a first embodiment ofa shelf which has holes arranged on each lateral edge thereof into whichthe shelf support bracket hook and stub can be inserted for positioningthe shelf forward or backward relative to the post;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view through the first embodiment of theshelf showing the hook and stub of a shelf support bracket inserted intoa pair of holes on the underside of the shelf thereby positioning theshelf in the forwardmost position relative to the post;

FIG. 7B is a view similar to FIG. 7A showing the shelf hook and stub ofa shelf support bracket inserted into another pair of holes therebypositioning the shelf in a middle position relative to the post;

FIG. 7C is a view similar to FIG. 7A showing the shelf hook and stub ofthe shelf support bracket inserted into yet another pair of holesthereby positioning the shelf in a most rearward position relative tothe post;

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the post and shelf support bracketattached to a post and with a shelf shown in phantom in an approximately1° back slope position relative to a horizontal plane;

FIG. 8A is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing the shelf in phantom in anapproximately 8° forward slope gravity feed position;

FIG. 8B is a view similar to FIG. 8A showing the shelf in phantom in anapproximately 4° forward slope gravity feed position;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 1 showingthe forwardmost portion of the shelf with a bumper wire insertedtherein;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional front view taken along line 10--10 of FIG.9 showing the attachment bolt joining adjacent shelves of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a gravity feedshelf of this invention;

FIG. 11A is an enlarged view of the side frame member joined to thefront frame member;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the shelf of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is another cross-sectional view of the shelf of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged broken away side view of a divider secured to theback edge of the shelf of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged broken away side view of the front end of thedivider secured to the front edge of the shelf of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the attachment ofthe divider to the slip surface layer of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a cooler display rack system 10 of the presentinvention is shown within a walk-in refrigerated cooler 12 for whichaccess to merchandise contained on the display rack 10 is availablethrough cooler doors 14. The cooler display rack 10 consists ofgenerally vertical upright posts 16 which are supported by elongatedshoes 18 which are located at a lowermost end 20 of the post on a floor22 of the walk-in cooler. Each shoe 18 has an upwardly open channel 24formed by a pair of shoe side walls 26a, 26b. The post 16 is securedbetween the shoe side walls 26 at the furthermost back end 28 of eachshoe 18.

The post 16 and shoe 18 combination form a generally L-shaped framesection 30 of which a plurality of L-shaped frame sections are joined ina generally parallel configuration by a spacing panel 32 (FIG. 2).

A plurality of shelves 34 of a first embodiment are attached in acantilever manner between each pair of adjacent upright posts 16 in thepresent invention. The shelves 34 are attached to the posts 16 such thatthey extend forward to the cooler doors 14 thereby allowing access bycustomers through the cooler doors to the merchandise contained thereon.In the cooler display rack system 10 of the present invention fullaccess is available to merchandise contained on the shelves in thatthere are no front posts to obstruct access to the merchandise.Furthermore, the shelves can be restocked at the appropriate times byaccessing a rear edge 36 of the shelves between the upright posts 16.

A cross-sectional view of a post 16 within the shoe 18 is shown in FIG.1A. Each post 16 is configured as having a pair of open channels 15, 15each formed by a pair of generally parallel sidewalls 17a, 17b which arejoined by an end channel 19. The channels 15, 15 open toward one anotherand are joined by a center panel 21 which is an extension of each of theopposing sidewalls 17b, 17b. The center panel 21 is offset from thesidewalls 17b, 17b such that it is flush with an insert 53 which ispositioned in a bottom end 20 of the post 16. The insert 53 is securedin place by a bolt 31 which is threadably engaged by a collar 33attached to the insert 53.

The posts 16 of the present invention include on each lateral side wall17a, 17b thereof a pair of parallel slot columns 44, 46 of which onecolumn of slots 44 is located near a forward edge 40 of the post and theother column of slots 46 is positioned near a rear edge 42 of each post.The forward column of slots 44 and rear column of slots 46 are each usedto support the shelves 34 which may be repositioned vertically along theheight of the post 16, within a horizontal plane forward or backwardrelative to the post 16, and angularly on an incline relative to ahorizontal plane, The angular inclination of the shelves 34 provides fora gravity feed system which allows merchandise to be accessed by thecustomer at a front edge 48 of each shelf and restocked by a storeemployee from the rear edge 36 of each shelf. A bumper wire 50 as shownin FIG. 1 is provided at the front edge 48 of each shelf to retain themerchandise contained thereon. The selective positioning of the shelves34 will be described later in this detailed disclosure of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows the post 16 being inserted into the shoe 18 of the presentinvention to form the frame section 30 which can be joined by thespacing panel 32 to other frame sections 30. A cross-sectional view ofthe shoe 18 as in FIG. 4 shows that it is constructed of a pair ofU-shaped channels 23, 23 positioned with an opening of each channel 25,25 directed away from one another. The side walls 26a, 26b of each shoeform the bottoms of the U-shaped channels 23, 23 and are positionedgenerally vertical, adjacent, and parallel to each other. As seen inFIG. 2A, the channels 23, 23 are joined by a shoe support 27 at aforward end 29 of each shoe 18. The shoe support 27 includes a collar27a through which a bolt 35 is threadably engaged. The bolts 31, 35support the shoe at each end and provide for levelling adjustments ofthe frame section 30 in that the bolts 31, 35 rest on the floor 22 ofthe cooler 12.

To secure the post 16 into the shoe 18 it must be tilted backward with arearmost bottom edge 52 of the post being inserted into the upwardlyopen channel 24 provided in the shoe 18. A hook 54 is provided at therear edge of the bottom end 52 of each post and a tab 58 extends from aforwardmost bottom edge 60 of each post. The hook 54 and tab 68 are onopposite ends of the insert 53 which is located within the bottom end 20of each post as previously described. The hook 54 and tab 58 project outof the post 16 through slots 55, 55 in the end portion 19 of each postopen channel 15. The hook 54 must be inserted into a rear shoe slot 56as shown in FIG. 3. The rear shoe slot 56 is in a rear shoe support 57which joins the shoe channels 23, 23 at the back 28 of the shoe 18.

Once the hook 54 engages the rear shoe slot 56, the post 16 can bepivoted forward until it reaches a generally vertical orientation atwhich time the tab 58, provided on the forwardmost bottom edge 60 of thepost, will slide within a shoe front slot 62 located in a middle shoesupport 59, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4. Once the tab 58 is seated in theforward shoe slot 62, a detente 64 on the middle shoe support 59 whichprojects into the forward shoe slot 62 engages the tab 58, therebysecuring the post 16 within the shoe 18. Once the post 16 is secured tothe shoe 18 in a generally vertical orientation, the L-shaped framemember 30 is formed which can then be joined to other L-shaped framemembers 30 by the spacing panel 32 which is screwed or fastened byanother appropriate mechanism to the rear edge 42 of the post just abovethe shoe 18 as shown in FIG. 2.

Once the appropriate number of frame sections 30 have been joined to fitwithin the specific dimensions of the walk-in cooler 12, the shelves 34can be attached between an adjacent pair of posts 16. The shelves 34 areattached to a post 16 by a shelf support bracket 66 on each lateral edgeof the shelf. A shelf support bracket which would be suitable forattaching a right side 68 of the shelf to a post 16 is shown in FIG. 7;a similarly designed shelf support bracket 66 would be configured forattachment on a left side 70 of each shelf. As best seen in FIG. 5, eachshelf support bracket 66 is generally configured as a U-shaped channelwith a pair of channel side walls 72a, 72b one of which side walls 72ahas a taller flat edge top surface spaced from the other side wall 72bwhich is of lower height having a shelf hook 74 and a stub 76 extendingupward from a top edge 78 thereof. For purposes to be described below,the top edge 78 of side wall 72b is sloped at approximately a 1° anglewith respect to the top edge 79 of wall 72a. That is, the front edge 82is higher than the rear edge 80 to provide an approximate 1° rearwardinclination. The shelf hook 74 is positioned proximate a rear edge 80 ofthe shelf support bracket sidewall 72b and the stub 76 is positionedproximate a front edge 82 of the shelf support bracket sidewall 72b. Theopposing side wall 72a has support hooks 77a, 77b located at each end ofthe shelf support bracket 66 on an upper edge 79 thereof.

The shelf hook 74 is of an L-shape having a generally vertical leg 73which projects up from the side wall 72b. A generally horizontal leg 75extends from the vertical leg 73 and in combination therewith forms theshelf hook 74. The outer surface of the connection between the legs 73and 75 is formed into an arcuate bend 71 in order to better facilitatethe insertion of the shelf hook 74 into the shelf 34 of the presentinvention. The stub 76 is shaped as a non-symmetric truncated trianglewith a flat upper surface 81 and pair of sloped sides 83a, 83b whichconnect the flat upper surface 81 to the side wall 72b. Adjacent to eachof the stub 76 and the shelf hook 74 are cut-outs 85a, 85b in the topedge 78 of side wall 72b in order to assist in attachment of the shelfsupport bracket 66 to the shelf 34.

FIGS. 6 and 6A show the shelf support 66 being secured to the post slotswhich 44, 46 are arranged in dual columns on each post 16. The supporthooks 77a, 77b are inserted into the post slot initially with the shelfsupport 66 oriented at an angle relative to the post 16 as shown in FIG.6. Once each support hook 77a, 77b is seated in a post slot in theforward post slot column 44 and the rear post slot column 46,respectively, the shelf support 66 is the pivoted to be parallel withthe side 17 of the post as shown in FIG. 6A.

When the shelf support 66 is positioned in horizontally aligned slotsfrom each column 44,46, the shelf 34 supported thereon would be inclinedrearwardly as shown by angle A at approximately a 1° back slope relativeto a horizontal plane because of the slope of sidewall 72b as shown inFIG. 8. The angled back slope configuration helps prevent merchandisefrom sliding towards the front edge 48 of the shelf, if so desired.However, an angle B of as much as an 8° forward slope gravity feed shelforientation can be achieved by inserting the rear support hook 77b intoa post slot in the rear slot column 46 one position above the post slotinto which support hook 77a is inserted in the front post column 44, asshown by comparing FIGS. 8 and 8A. The gravity feed orientation for theshelf 34 in the cooler display rack system 10 is desirable forrestocking purposes in that once the forwardmost item on the shelf 34 isremoved by the customer, as a result of the gravity feed inclination ofthe shelf subsequent items would advance forward and be retained by thebumper wires 50 which are described later in this disclosure.

FIG. 8B shows the shelf 34 with the support hooks 77a, 77b located inthe same post slot configuration as shown in FIG. 8A, but the shelf 34of FIG. 8B is positioned at an angle C of approximately a 4° forwardslope gravity feed orientation as a result of a screw 84 providedthrough a threaded hole 86 in a bottom portion 88 of the shelf support.Positive rotation advances the screw 84 through the hole 86 whichthreadably engages the screw 84. As the screw 84 is rotated andadvanced, it contacts a bottom surface 90 of the shelf thereby pivotingthe shelf 34 about the shelf hook 74 and adjusting the inclination ofthe shelf 34 to any orientation between approximately an 8° forwardslope as shown by angle B in FIG. 8A to approximately a 4° forward slopeas shown by angle C in FIG. 8B depending on the amount of screwrotation. In order to have an appropriately adjusted shelf 34 in thegravity feed orientation of the cooler display rack 10 of the presentinvention, the shelf support bracket 66 on both the right 68 and leftsides 70 of each shelf 34 should be positioned identically in thatcorresponding post slots should be employed for each post 16 used insupporting each shelf 34 and each screw 84 positioned in each shelfsupport bracket 66 should be similarly positioned relative to oneanother.

As shown in FIG. 7, the shelf support bracket 66 engages a series ofhole pairs 92a-b, 94a-b, 96a-b, in the bottom side 90 of each shelfalong each lateral edge 68, 70. The stub 76 and shelf hook 74 are eachinserted into the holes on the bottom side 90 of the shelf. The holesare arranged in three pairs 92, 94 and 96 as shown in FIG. 7. The centerhole 92b, 96a is used as the forward hole 92b in pair 92, and the rearhole 96a in pair 96. The rearmost hole of each pair 92a, 94a and 96awould be a hook hole adapted to receive the shelf hook 74, and theforwardmost 92b, 94b and 96b of each pair would be a stub hole adaptedto receive the stub 76 on the shelf support bracket 66. The provision ofmultiple pairs of holes for positioning the shelf 34 at variouslocations forward and aft relative to the post 16 is shown in FIGS. 7A,7B, and 7C. FIG. 7A shows the position of the shelf 34 relative to theshelf support bracket 66 when the pair of holes 92a, 92b on the bottomside of each lateral edge of the shelf are utilized. This configurationwill provide the shelf 34 with its most forward position relative to thepost 16. FIG. 7B shows the positioning of the shelf 34 when the pair ofholes identified as 94a, 94b are utilized. Similarly, FIG. 7C shows thepositioning of the shelf 34 at the most rearward location available inthe cooler display rack 10 of the present invention by utilizing thepair of holes identified as 96a, 96b.

The capability of selectively positioning the shelves 34 forward or aftrelative to the post 16 is shown in FIG. 1 by comparing the relativepositions of the shelves shown in the cooler display rack of the presentinvention. A bottom shelf 98 is in the most forward position in whichholes 92a, 92b are used; a second lowest shelf 100 is in the middleposition utilizing the holes 94a, 94b. Center shelves 102, 102 are inthe most rearward position in which holes 96a, 96b are used. Thecapability of positioning the shelves forward and aft relative to theposts, vertically along the height of the post, and at variable gravityfeed inclinations offers the convenience or grocery store managerflexibility in merchandising products to be displayed on the coolerdisplay rack of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows the bumper wire 50 positioned within a first embodiment ofa shelf 34 of the cooler display 10 rack of the present invention. Thebumper wire 50 is a generally inverted U-shaped wire as shown in FIG. 1,with a pair of downwardly extending legs 104 joined by a cross bar 106.In FIG. 9, the legs 104 are positioned orthogonal to an upper surface108 of the shelf. An end portion 110 of each leg is bent to form anobtuse angle with respect to the leg 104. The end portion 110 is seatedthrough a lower hole 112 in a locking tab 114 welded to a bottom side115 of the shelf surface 108 as shown in FIG. 9. The locking tab 114 hasa welded portion 113 which is welded or otherwise affixed to the bottomside 115 of the upper surface 108 of the shelf 34. Forming an obtuseangle with the welded portion 113 is a leaf 117 in which the lower hole112 is located. The leaf 117 is spaced from and angled with respect tothe bottom side 115. The lower hole 112 is positioned at the point wherethe leg 104 is angled to form the end portion. The leg 104 projectsthrough a hole 116 in the upper surface 108 of the shelf.

The bumper wire 50 inserted into the shelf upper surface 108 and thelocking tab 114 insures that a customer cannot remove the bumper wire 50by merely pulling on the bumper wire 50 in a direction normal to theupper surface 108 of the shelf. The leaf 117 retains the angled endportion 110 to inhibit the bumper wire 50 from being removedorthogonally relative to the upper surface 108 of the shelf. In order toremove the bumper wire 50 from the shelf 34, it must be pulled upwardand simultaneously pivoted toward the rear end 36 of the shelves so thatthe end portion 110 of the bumper wire leg can be removed from the lowerhole 112 in the leaf 117 within the shelf. Therefore, if merchandise isaccumulated on the shelf 34 and being retained by the bumper wire 50,the bumper wire 50 could not be removed in that it could not be pivotedtowards the rear edge 36 of the shelf due to the merchandise containedthereon.

In order to insert the bumper wire 50 into the shelf 34, the end portion110 of the leg would be initially inserted normal to the upper surface108 of the shelf through the upper hole 116, and then as the bumper wire50 is pushed down it is simultaneously pivoted toward the front edge 48of the shelf so the end portion 110 can project through the lower hole112 in the lower panel 114 of the shelf to achieve the configurationshown in FIG. 9.

A second preferred embodiment for a shelf 130 for use with the coolerdisplay rack system 10 of this invention is shown in FIGS. 11 through16. This shelf design can be incorporated into the display rack system10 for variable vertical, horizontal and angular adjustments just aswere described with reference to the shelf design 34 of the firstembodiment. The second shelf design embodiment 130 includes a generallyrectangular open frame 132 consisting of a pair of spaced side framemembers 134 connecting a back frame member 136 to a front frame member138 (FIG. 11). Each side frame member 134, 134 consists of a generallyU-shaped channel with a horizontal top leg 139 and a lower wider leg140. The leg 140 of the shaped channel is fixedly secured at the backend to the lower leg of the back frame 136. The series of hole pairs92a-b, 94a-b, 96a-b are provided in the longer leg 140 of the side framemember 134 for attachment to the shelf support bracket 66 as wasdescribed with reference to the first embodiment of the shelf 34.

The back frame member 136 consists essentially of a box shaped channelhaving an open side directed toward the interior of the open front frame132. The legs 140 of side frame members 134, 134 are inserted into therespective ends of an inwardly facing lower leg 143 of the back framemember 136 box channel as shown in FIG. 11. A tab 142 projectinginwardly toward the interior of the open frame 132 is also formed on theupper channel side wall of the back frame member 136.

The front frame member 138 also consists essentially of a box-shapedchannel having an inwardly facing transverse ledge 144 which extends toeach end thereof. This ledge 144 accepts on each end the front ends ofupper legs 139 of the side frame members 134, 134 as shown in FIG. 11A.The front frame member 138 also includes a tab 146 projecting toward theinterior of the open frame 132 as shown in FIG. 15. Extending along thefront edge of the front frame member 138 is an open upwardly angledchannel 146 in which a price sticker or label (not shown) can beinserted relating to the merchandise supported on the shelf as is wellknown in the art. A front end of each side frame member's lower leg 140includes an upstanding hook 148 which engages a slot 150 formed in thefront frame member 138 proximate the back side of the price channel 146as shown in FIG. 15. The legs 140 are fixedly secured to the front framemember 138 by rivets 149, or the like.

A plurality of holes 152 are also included in the front frame member 138in the uppermost side of the box-shaped channel. The holes 152 arepositioned and adapted to receive legs 154 of a generally U-shapedbumper wire 156 as shown in FIG. 11. The legs 154 of a bumper wire 156are inserted through the holes 152 in the front frame member 138 toattach the bumper wires 156 at the front edge of the shelf 130 andretain the merchandise thereon.

A shelf insert 158 comprises an upper sheet 158a and a lower supportgrid 158b as shown in FIG. 11 and is inserted into the open frame 132 toform the shelf 130 in this preferred embodiment. The shelf insert 158ais preferably formed from plastic and has a plurality of spaced,generally parallel ribs 160 on an upper surface thereof extendinglongitudinally from the back edge to the front edge of the shelf. Theribs 160 provide a slip surface layer 162 on the upper surface of theshelf insert 158a so that when the shelf 130 is in a gravity feedorientation, merchandise supported thereon advances by gravity atop theslip surface layer 162 toward a front edge of the shelf 130. Themerchandise is prevented from sliding off the front edge of the shelf130 by the bumper wires 156 inserted into the front frame member 138.Preferably, a silicone additive or coating is added to the slip surfacelayer 162 to reduce the friction between the merchandise and the shelfinsert 158a. The shelf insert 158 is supported along the sides by thelonger leg 140 of the side frame members 134, 134 and by the upper legs139 forming a side edge for a perimeter retaining rim 164 formed on theunderside of the insert 158a which rests upon the frame 132 as shown inFIGS. 12-15.

In addition to the retaining rim 164 around the perimeter, the lowersupport grid 158b includes a plurality of laterally extending channels166 and a plurality of longitudinally extending, more shallow, channels168. In combination, the laterally and longitudinally extending channels166, 168 form a checkerboard like configuration. The channels 166, 168of support grid 158b provide added rigidity and structural support tothe shelf 130. As a result, the insert 158 can be constructed of alightweight, durable and cost effective material, preferably plastic.Preferably, the laterally extending channels 166 are deeper forming alarger profile in cross-section (FIG. 12) than the longitudinallyextending channels 168 (FIG. 13) to support the shelf on its lateraledges.

Dividers 170 are provided for attachment to the shelf 130 in thispreferred embodiment. The dividers 170 project perpendicularly from theupper surface of the shelf 130 and extend longitudinally between thefront and rear frame members 138, 136. The dividers 170 can beselectively attached and detached at a plurality of positions across theupper slip surface layer 162 of the shelf 130. The dividers 170cooperate to form channels and separate the merchandise into columns forarrangement on the shelf 130. In the gravity feed configuration, themerchandise is arranged longitudinally on the shelf 130 in the channelsbetween adjacent dividers 170. When the forwardmost item of merchandiseis removed from the front edge of the shelf 130, the remaining items inthe column behind the removed item advance by gravity atop the slipsurface layer 162 toward the front edge of the shelf 130. As a result,the dividers 170 prevent the merchandise in an adjacent column frominterfering with the gravity feed advance of the merchandise.

A bottom portion of each divider 170 has a generally inverted Y-shapedbase 172 as shown generally in FIG. 13 and particularly in FIG. 16. TheY-shaped base 172 consists of a pair of legs 174, 174 which support agenerally planar upper portion 176 of the divider 170. A bottom surfaceof each leg 174 of the base 172 is inserted between adjacent ribs 160 ofthe shelf insert 158. Each leg 174 includes a lip projecting 178inwardly toward the center of the base 172 to engage the upper surfaceof the rib 160 and stabilize the divider 170 on the shelf 130.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a notch 180 with an upwardly directeddetent 182 formed on the lower side wall of the notch 180 is provided onthe rear and front ends of each divider 170. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 12, each divider 170 has a generally bowed configuration in whichthe front and rear ends are bowed upwardly relative to a middle portionof the divider 170. The dividers 170 are preferably extruded plasticand, as a result, are flexible and bendable. The tabs 142, 147 extendingfrom the rear and front frame members are inserted into the notches 180,180 at the rear and front ends, respectively, of the divider 170 asshown in FIGS. 14 and 15. A hook 184 may be provided on the tab 147 asshown in FIG. 15 to engage the detent 182 in the front notch 180. Due toits bowed configuration, the divider 170 is securely retained on theshelf 130 with the bottom portion of the notch 180 and detent 182 beingforced upwardly against the tab 142 or 147 in the frame member.Furthermore, the bowed configuration assists the divider base legs 174in maintaining a stable and secure position between the adjacent ribs160. The bowed configuration produces a friction fit of the divider 170onto the upper slip surface 162 between adjacent ribs 160 and intoengagement with the front and rear frame members 138, 136.Advantageously, the divider 170 can be easily removed or detached from aset position on the shelf 130 and reinstalled on the shelf 130 withoutdamaging any of the components or requiring complicated and lengthyassembly procedures. As a result, the dividers 170 can be selectivelypositioned on the shelf 130 to form channels for merchandise of avariety of widths and efficiently utilize available shelf space.

A final feature of the cooler display rack system of the presentinvention is a shelf connecting bolt 118 as shown in FIG. 10. The bolt118 or other suitable attachment mechanism, would be used to joinadjacent shelves 34 or 130 on a cooler display 10 rack in order toprovide more stability and rigidity to the rack structure as a whole.The shelf attachment bolt 118 would be inserted through a hole 120 in adownwardly extending flange 122 on each lateral edge 68, 70 on anadjacent pair of shelves 34 or 130 and would be secured in place by anut 124 as shown in FIG. 10. The provision of a shelf attachment bolt118 would be an optional feature to the construction of the presentinvention in that it does provide more stability to the shelf structure,but also requires that adjacent shelves 34 or 130 be identicallypositioned on the respective shelf support brackets 66 which may not bethe case for certain applications of the present invention.

From the above disclosure of the general principles of the presentinvention and the preceding description of the preferred embodimentthose skilled in the art will readily comprehend the variousmodifications to which the present invention is susceptible. Therefore,I desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims andequivalents thereof.

I claim:
 1. A display rack for providing access to merchandise supportedthereon comprising:plurality of generally upright posts having a topend, a bottom end, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair of lateralspaced sides; base means attached to the bottom end of each said postfor bracing said post in a generally vertical orientation, said post andsaid base means forming a generally L-shaped frame section; connectingmeans for joining in spaced and generally parallel relation each saidframe section to an adjacent said frame section; at least one shelfextending between an adjacent pair of said posts, said shelf beingsecured by attachment means for mounting said shelf in a generallycantilever manner between said adjacent pair of posts; said shelffurther comprising:a frame having a pair of spaced side membersconnecting a front member spaced from a back member; a shelf insertsupported on said frame, said shelf insert having a slip surface upperlayer for gravity feed advance of the merchandise thereon; a dividerattached to an uppermost surface of said slid surface upper layerwithout being interlocked therewith, said divider projecting upwardlyfrom said slip surface upper layer and extending between said frontframe member and said rear frame member to guide the merchandiseadvancing toward said front frame member, said divider being selectivelyattachable and detachable from said slip surface upper layer at aplurality of positions on said insert.
 2. The display rack of claim 1further comprising:a plurality of upwardly projecting spaced ribs onsaid slip surface upper layer, said ribs being generally parallel andextending between said front frame member and said rear frame member. 3.The display rack of claim 2 wherein said divider has a generallyinverted Y-shaped base, each leg of said inverted Y-shaped base having alip projecting therefrom, each said leg of said base being insertedbetween a pair of adjacent said ribs and each said lip engaging one ofsaid ribs.
 4. A display rack for providing access to merchandisesupported thereon comprising:a plurality of generally upright postshaving a top end, a bottom end, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair oflateral spaced sides; base means attached to the bottom end of each saidpost for bracing said post in a generally vertical orientation, saidpost and said base means forming a generally L-shaped frame section;connecting means for joining in spaced and generally parallel relationeach said frame section to an adjacent said frame section; at least oneshelf extending between an adjacent pair of said posts, said shelf beingsecured by attachment means for mounting said shelf in a generallycantilever manner between said adjacent pair of posts; said shelffurther comprising:a frame having a pair of spaced side membersconnecting a front member spaced from a back member; a shelf insertsupported on said frame, said shelf insert having a slip surface upperlayer for gravity feed advance of the merchandise thereon; a dividerpositioned atop said shelf insert, said divider projecting upwardly fromsaid slid surface upper layer and extending between said front framemember and said rear frame member to guide the merchandise advancingtoward said front frame member, said divider being selectivelyattachable and detachable from said slip surface upper layer at aplurality of positions on said insert; notch at a front end and a notchat a rear end of said divider; and a tab projecting from each said frontframe member and said rear frame member, said front frame member tab andsaid rear frame member tab being inserted into said front end notch andsaid rear end notch, respectively, to attach said divider to the shelf.5. The display rack of claim 4 wherein said divider has an upwardlydirected bowed configuration such that said front and rear ends each bowupwardly relative to a middle portion of said divider, said upwardlybowed configuration enabling said front and rear end notches to engagesaid front and rear frame member tabs, respectively, and secure saiddivider to the shelf.
 6. The display rack of claim 4 furthercomprising:a detent within each said notch, said detent engaging saidtab when said divider is attached to said shelf.
 7. A display rack forproviding access to merchandise supported thereon comprising:a pluralityof generally upright posts having a top end, a bottom end, a front edge,a rear edge, and a pair of lateral spaced sides; base means attached tothe bottom end of each said post for bracing said post in a generallyvertical orientation, said post and said base means forming a generallyL-shaped frame section; connecting means for joining in spaced andgenerally parallel relation each said frame section to an adjacent saidframe section; at least one shelf extending between an adjacent pair ofsaid posts, said shelf being secured by attachment means for mountingsaid shelf in a generally cantilever manner between said adjacent pairof post; said shelf further comprising:a frame having a pair of spacedside members connecting a front member spaced from a back member; ashelf insert supported on said frame, said shelf insert having a slipsurface upper layer for gravity feed advance of the merchandise thereon;divider positioned atop said shelf insert, said divider projectingupwardly from said slip surface upper layer and extending between saidfront frame member and said rear frame member to guide the merchandiseadvancing toward said front frame member, said divider being selectivelyattachable and detachable from said slid surface upper layer at aplurality of positions on said insert; a plurality of laterallyextending channels formed in an under side of said shelf insert; and aplurality of longitudinally extending channels formed in said shelfinsert under side, said laterally and longitudinally extending channelsproviding added structural rigidity to said shelf insert.
 8. The displayrack of claim 1 further comprising:a stop at said front edge of saidshelf to retain merchandise supported thereon.
 9. The display rack ofclaim 8 wherein said stop comprises a generally inverted U-shaped bumperwire having a pair of downwardly extending legs, each said leg beinginserted into a hole in said shelf.
 10. In combination, a walk-in coolerand a cooler display rack for providing displayed access to merchandisesupported upon the rack and located within the walk-in cooler, saidcooler display rack comprising:a plurality of generally upright postshaving a top end, a bottom end, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair oflateral spaced sides; base means attached to the bottom end of each saidpost for bracing said post in a generally vertical orientation, saidpost and said base means forming a generally L-shaped frame section;connecting means for joining in spaced and generally parallel relationeach said frame section; at least one shelf extending between anadjacent pair of said posts, said shelf being secured by attachmentmeans for mounting said shelf in a generally cantilever manner betweensaid adjacent pair of posts; said shelf further comprising:a framehaving a pair of spaced side members connecting a front member spacedfrom a back member; a shelf insert supported on said frame, said shelfinsert having a slip surface upper layer for gravity feed advance of themerchandise thereon; a divider attached to an uppermost surface of saidslid surface upper layer without being interlocked therewith, saiddivider projecting upwardly from said slip surface upper layer andextending between said front frame member and said rear frame member toguide the merchandise advancing toward said front frame member, saiddivider being selectively attachable and detachable from said slipsurface upper layer at a plurality of positions on said insert.
 11. Thecombination of claim 10 further comprising:a plurality of upwardlyprojecting spaced ribs on said slip surface upper layer, said ribs beinggenerally parallel and extending between said front frame member andsaid rear frame member.
 12. The combination of claim 11 wherein saiddivider has a generally inverted Y-shaped base, each leg of saidinverted Y-shaped base having a lip projecting therefrom, each said legof said base being inserted between a pair of adjacent said ribs andeach said lip engaging one of said ribs.
 13. In combination, a walk-incooler and a cooler display rack for providing access to merchandisesupported upon the rack and located within the walk-in cooler, saidcooler display rack comprising:a plurality of generally upright postshaving a top end, a bottom end, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair oflateral spaced sides; base means attached to the bottom end of each saidpost for bracing said post in a generally vertical orientation, saidpost and said base means forming a generally L-shaped frame section;connecting means for joining in spaced and generally parallel relationeach said frame section; at least one shelf extending between anadjacent pair of said posts, said shelf being secured by attachmentmeans for mounting said shelf in a generally cantilever manner betweensaid adjacent pair of posts; said shelf further comprising:a framehaving a pair of spaced side members connecting a front member spacedfrom a back member; a shelf insert supported on said frame, said shelfinsert having a slip surface upper layer for gravity feed advance of themerchandise thereon; a divider positioned atop said shelf insert, saiddivider projecting upwardly from said slip surface upper layer andextending between said front frame member and said rear frame member toguide the merchandise advancing toward said front frame member, saiddivider being selectively attachable and detachable from said slipsurface upper layer at a plurality of positions on said insert; a notchat a front end and a notch at a rear end of said divider; and a tabprojecting from each said front frame member and said rear frame member,said front frame member tab and said rear frame member tab beinginserted into said front end notch and said rear end notch,respectively, to attach said divider to the shelf.
 14. The combinationof claim 13 wherein said divider has an upwardly directed bowedconfiguration such that said front and rear ends each bow upwardlyrelative to a middle portion of said divider, said upwardly bowedconfiguration enabling said front and rear end notches to engage saidfront and rear frame member tabs, respectively, and secure said dividerto the shelf.
 15. The combination of claim 13 further comprising:adetent within each said notch, said detent engaging said tab when saiddividers is attached to said shelf.
 16. In combination, a walk-in coolerand a cooler display rack for providing access to merchandise supportedupon the rack and located within the walk-in cooler, said cooler displayrack further comprising:a plurality of generally upright posts having atop end, a bottom end, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair of lateralspaced sides; base means attached to the bottom end of each said postfor bracing said post in a generally vertical orientation, said post andsaid base means forming a generally L-shaped frame section; connectingmeans for joining in spaced and generally parallel relation each saidframe section; at least one shelf extending between an adjacent pair ofsaid posts, said shelf being secured by attachment means for mountingsaid shelf in a generally cantilever manner between said adjacent pairof posts; said shelf further comprising:a frame having a pair of spacedside members connecting a front member spaced from a back member; ashelf insert supported on said frame, said shelf insert having a slipsurface upper layer for gravity feed advance of the merchandise thereon;a divider positioned atop said shelf insert, said divider projectingupwardly from said slip surface upper layer and extending between saidfront frame member and said rear frame member to guide the merchandiseadvancing toward said front frame member, said divider being selectivelyattachable and detachable from said slid surface upper layer at aplurality of positions on said insert; a plurality of laterallyextending channels formed in an under side of said shelf insert; and aplurality of longitudinally extending channels formed in said shelfinsert under side, said laterally and longitudinally extending channelsproviding added structural rigidity to said shelf insert.
 17. Thecombination of claim 10 further comprising:a stop at said front edge ofsaid shelf to retain merchandise supported thereon.
 18. The combinationof claim 17 wherein said stop comprises a generally inverted U-shapedbumper wire having a pair of downwardly extending legs, each said legbeing inserted into a hole in said shelf.
 19. A shelf for displayingmerchandise supported thereon, said shelf comprising:a frame having apair of spaced side members connecting a front member spaced from a backmember; a shelf insert supported on said frame, said shelf insert havinga slip surface upper layer for gravity feed advance of the merchandisethereon; a divider positioned atop said shelf insert, said dividerprojecting upwardly from said slip surface upper layer and extendingbetween said front frame member and said rear frame member to guide themerchandise advancing toward said front frame member, said divider beingselectively attachable and detachable from said slip surface upper layerat a plurality of positions on said insert, said divider having anupwardly directed bowed configuration such that said front and rear endseach bow upwardly relative to a middle portion of said divider; a notchat a front end and a notch at a rear end of said divider; and a tabprojecting from each said front frame member and said rear frame member,said front frame member tab and said rear frame member tab beinginserted into said front end notch and said rear end notch,respectively, said upwardly bowed configuration enabling said front andrear end notches to engage said front and rear frame member tabs,respectively, and secure said divider to the shelf.
 20. The shelf ofclaim 19 further comprising:a plurality of upwardly projecting spacedribs on said slip surface upper layer, said ribs being generallyparallel and extending between said front frame member and said rearframe member.
 21. The shelf of claim 20 wherein said divider has agenerally inverted Y-shaped base, each leg of said inverted Y-shapedbase having a lip projecting therefrom, each said leg of said bottomsurface being inserted between a pair of adjacent said ribs and eachsaid lip engaging one of said ribs.
 22. The shelf of claim 19 furthercomprising:a plurality of laterally extending channels formed in anunder side of said shelf insert; and a plurality of longitudinallyextending channels formed in said shelf insert under side, saidlaterally and longitudinally extending channels providing addedstructural rigidity to said shelf insert.
 23. The shelf of claim 19further comprising:a detent within each said notch, said detent engagingsaid tab when said divider is attached to the shelf.
 24. A shelf for agravity feed display rack comprising:a frame having a pair of spacedside members connecting a front member spaced from a back member; atleast one shelf insert supported on said frame; a slip surface layerpositioned atop said at least one shelf insert for gravity feed advanceof merchandise thereon; and a divider attached to an uppermost surfaceof said slip surface upper layer without being interlocked therewith,said divider projecting upwardly from said slip surface layer andextending between said front frame member and said rear frame member toguide the merchandise advancing toward said front frame member, saiddivider being selectively attachable and detachable from said slipsurface layer at a plurality of positions on the shelf.
 25. The shelf ofclaim 24 further comprising:a plurality of upwardly projecting spacedribs on said slip surface layer, said ribs being generally parallel andextending between said front frame member and said rear frame member.26. The shelf of claim 25 wherein said divider has a generally invertedY-shaped base, each leg of said inverted Y-shaped base having a lipprojecting therefrom, each said leg of said base being inserted betweena pair of adjacent said ribs and each said lip engaging one of saidribs.
 27. A shelf for a gravity feed display rack comprising:a framehaving a pair of spaced side members connecting a front member spacedfrom a back member; at least one shelf insert supported on said frame; aslid surface layer positioned atop said at least one shelf insert forgravity feed advance of merchandise thereon; a divider positioned atopsaid slip surface layer, said divider projecting upwardly from said slipsurface layer and extending between said front frame member and saidrear frame member to guide the merchandise advancing toward said frontframe member, said divider being selectively attachable and detachablefrom said slip surface layer at a plurality of positions on the shelf; anotch at a front end and a notch at a rear end of said divider; and atab projecting from each said front frame member and said rear framemember, said front frame member tab and said rear frame member tab beinginserted into said front end notch and said rear end notch,respectively, to attach said divider to the shelf.
 28. The shelf ofclaim 27 wherein said divider has an upwardly directed bowedconfiguration such that said front and rear ends each bow upwardlyrelative to a middle portion of said divider, said upwardly bowedconfiguration enabling said front and rear end notches to engage saidfront and rear frame member tabs, respectively, and secure said dividerto the shelf.
 29. The shelf of claim 27 further comprising:a detentwithin each said notch, said detent engaging said tab when said divideris attached to said shelf.
 30. The shelf of claim 27 furthercomprising:a plurality of laterally extending channels formed in anunder side of said shelf insert.
 31. The shelf of claim 27 furthercomprising:a plurality of longitudinally extending channels formed in anunder side of said shelf insert.
 32. The shelf of claim 24 furthercomprising:a stop at said front edge of said shelf to retain merchandisesupported thereon.
 33. The shelf of claim 32 wherein said stop comprisesa generally inverted U-shaped bumper wire having a pair of downwardlyextending legs, each said leg being inserted into a hole in the shelf.34. The shelf of claim 24 wherein the shelf is suspended in a cantileverconfiguration on the display rack.